San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-10-15

| of a healthy and vigorous hunger"
Then followed place for the signature
and one for the witnesses.
"You see, ;" he went on, 81 ask for no
unpleasant condition. i give you free
life, coupled with the simple condition Of
ordinary care Do you agree'"
81 hardly know; it is so sudden"
"Cone, come"-he spoke with harsh
ness quite new-'come, let us have no
nonsense of that sort. Do you agreeF'
read it over again.
"Give me little time" said. 'Let
me reflect till tomorrow morning"
"Refectr' His face flushed purple,
and his bloodshot eyes literally glared.
"Refect! what the devil does the boy
want to reflect about? Has he got q
penny, a friend, or a chance in the whole
world? | will give you five minutes
come" He rose up and stood before me.
AS / looked in his face curious dimness
came over my eyes; he seemed to recede
before me; he disappeared altogether
When heard him speak again his voice
sounded far, far Off, but thin and clear, as
if it came through some long tube. Luke
Lucraft," it said, ''see yourself"
Yes, saw myself, and though outside
of what saw, felt the same emotions as
if had been the actual performer in the
scenes l witnessed.
/ was standing where the old gentleman
met me, starving still, and suffering pangs
far worse than those under which
groaned at o'clock. The day was ad-
vanced; the diners had all gone away, and
the dining room walters were putting up
the shutters / spoke to one of them
timidly. i told him l had eaten nothing
since the morning, and begged for plate
of broken victuals. He looked in my face,
called a brother servant, and they kicked
me from the door. People were rougher
in London fifty years ago. Then l skunk
away, and wandered somewhere among
the winding streets and lanes of the old
city. London at night was not so empty
and deserted as it is now, and the streets
had people IN them. Some Of them were
well dressed-the wealthy merchants had
not, even then, all left off living in the
city; some were clerks going home; some
were women out for an evenings walk.
The bells rang out the hours from the city
clocks, and l crept along the walls wonder
ing what would become of me, and how
should find an end of my present misery.
Then I begged Took off my hat and
held it in my hand while asked for some.
tlring-anything- smallest coin that
would get piece of bread.
The men passed me by with pitiless and
unbelieving eyes. Heavens! if they had
been hungry once, only once, in all their
lives, they would never again have refused
the petition of n beggar, even though he
was the most lying mendicant who ever
disgraced the words of charity which
passed his lips. But they gave me nothing.
The women edged away from me and
passed on the other side if | timidly
pressed my chain. They had nothing to
fear from me. At last | asked a girl.
She was more unfortunate than myself,
but she was not hungry, and she gave me
a shilling
Then | found shop open, and bought
plate of meat. That spent-I saw myself
Sinking, ashamed and wretched, again
along the cold and empty street. When
could walk no more / found myself in
Covent Garden market, and threw myself
under shelter of a roof at least, among the
stalks and leaves and straw which Uttered
the place.
l awoke early, and hungry again. /
rose and resumed my miserable walk.
Hope by this time was dead within me;
could think Of nothing but my intoler-
able hunger; could feel nothing but the
pain which would not leave me; could
look at nothing but food in the window.
l begged again, and begged all day
without success.
1t was a TOugher time, tha1 than the
present More than one man laid his
stick across my back with an impatient
admOnitiOn to get to work, you lazy
rogue But | was too feeble to retaliate
or demonstrate. Was there no charity in
the world? passed other beggars in the
streets who looked fat and comfortable.
People gave them money, but they would
give me none. The time wore on, and my
craving for food became irresistible.
passed shop which had tray outside
of baked potatoes. The owner had his
back to me. l stole one Yes, stole
one. No one saw me. He did not see me
as / skunk past him with guilty face, and
swiftly sped round the nearest corner to
eat the stolen morsel.
What is the use of single baked po-
tato? Presently l returned to the same
place with the intention of taking another
But they were all gone. went on, look
ing for another provision shop. came to
place where hot, smoking sausages were
bubbling in a pan over a charcoal fire.
The shop stood at corner. There was
only a girl minding it. l deliberately
walked in, took q sausage from the pan,
hot as it was, and stepped out again be-
fore her establishment even prompted her
to cry out
The time seemed intolerably long. All
these scenes passed before me, not as the
quick and steady fight of the rapidly fall
ing moments, but as if the agony and the
shame were deliberately heightened out.
Then came third time when stole,
maddened by the dream of hunger. This
time was detected, pursued and appre-
hended. The misery and shame of the
hour when l stood before the magistrate,
in that horrible vision of possible future,
/ cannot even yet forget. With this
constant sense of unsatisfied and craving
hunger; a feeling as if hunger was the
greatest evil in the whole world; long
ing to get rid of it. Last scene of all, l
was lying dead, starved to death with
hunger and cold, in miserable, bare and
naked garnet.
By what black art did the old man de-
lude my senses? It was a lie and he
knew it. l should have got some honest
no Do CoHtHued.l